1. Field
The invention relates to fluid spray devices, and more specifically to water spray wands used for gardening.
2. State of the Art
Water spray wands are used by gardeners to water gardens and lawns. Such spray wands typically connect to the male threaded connector end of a standard garden hose and can include a hand-operable rotary valve, or a rear lever or trigger mechanism to actuate an internal valve which controls the flow of water therefrom. Various removable nozzles can be attached to the same basic spray wand to provide the desired water spray pattern to fit the particular spray application. Some spray wands have trigger mechanisms which permit the flow of water to be infinitely varied from no flow to full flow. Others are merely allow no flow and full flow with no variability therebetween.
There are a number of water spray guns which are of the pistol grip type and rigid type spray wands, such as those disclosed in my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/526,931 the disclosure of which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference, including my invention of a water spray gun with incrementally controllable locking trigger disclosed and claimed therein. Spray wands typically have a rigid extension tube which connects a trigger pistol grip or rotary valve operated grip connectable to a garden hose and to a spray nozzle which is fixedly or removable attached thereto. The extension tube allows a gardener to reach places where a pistol grip sprayer cannot efficiently reach such as overhead planters or the gutters of houses such as for flushing free of leaves. Such extension tubes are typically bent at a thirty degree angle and a ninety degree angle, respectively, to suit such application thereof. A problem arises when the gardener wants to do both tasks and must either use a spray wand which is not suited for one of the tasks or purchase multiple spray wands to do both tasks properly.
There is a need for a spray wand which includes an extension tube which can be positioned at various angles to suit the particular spray application.
A flexible tube device primarily for use as part of a water spray wand of the type connectable to a garden hose. The wand includes an elongate handle with a water passageway which extends therethrough leading from a lower inlet end thereof, attachable to the garden hose for receiving water, to an upper outlet end thereof connected to a spray nozzle such as a standard single outlet nozzle, rotary multiple outlet nozzle having an inlet portion and an outlet portion. The flexible tube device comprises an elongate, generally tubular body having an inlet end connectable to the outlet end of the handle, and an outlet end for admitting and outletting water from a water passageway which extends therethrough, at least a portion of the tubular body being flexible so as to allow substantial bending thereof without kinking. The wand further includes means for connecting the inlet end of the tubular body to the upper outlet end of the handle and for connecting the outlet end of the tubular body to the spray nozzle such that the tubular body can be bent so as to direct the flow of water exiting the nozzle at a desired angle relative to the handle for ease of use in the particular watering application. The wand can further include a valve such as of the rotary or trigger type operatively connected to the handle for controlling the flow of water through the wand.
The flexible tube device can be of a first embodiment wherein the flexible portion of the body comprises an outer tube which maintains a bent or straight position upon being forced into such position until force is again applied thereto to reposition the flexible outer tube. The outer tube typically comprises at least one elongate piece of thin sheet metal which is spiral wound with side edges thereof movably connected together so as to permit flexing thereof during bending.
The flexible tube device can be of a second embodiment wherein the flexible portion of the body comprises an outer tube, preferably of an externally ribbed configuration with a smooth interior surface, made of a resilient material which does not hold a bent position of itself, but which is held in the desired position by means of an elongate, bendable stiffener member which extends through the body and which retains the shape to which it is bent, thus maintaining the flexible portion in such bent condition.
In either embodiment, the connecting means typically comprises first and second end fittings, the first end fitting which connects the inlet end of the tubular body to the outlet end of the handle and the second end fitting which connects the outlet end of the tubular body to the spray nozzle. The first end fitting typically comprises a tube connecting the inlet end of the tubular body to the upper outlet end of the handle, and the second end fitting comprises a generally tubular fitting having an insertion end for insertion into the outlet end of the tubular body and a threaded connection end which is threadably connected to a correspondingly threaded inlet portion of the nozzle.
In either embodiment, the body typically further includes a flexible inner hose for conducting water through the body, which hose substantially extends through the elongate body from the inlet end to the outlet end thereof, respective inlet and outlet ends of the hose being connected to the upper outlet end of the handle and to the spray nozzle by means of the respective first and second end fittings. In such configuration, the first end fitting comprises a tubular member having an inlet portion and an oppositely extending, tapered externally ribbed outlet portion, the outlet portion which snugly fits within the inlet end of the hose. The first end fitting further comprises a tube having respective inlet and outlet ends, the inlet portion of the tubular member which connects to the outlet of the handle by means of the tube, the inlet end of the tube being connectable to the handle, and the outlet end thereof into which is pressfit the inlet portion of the tubular member. The second end fitting has an externally threaded portion and a tapered externally ribbed portion, the ribbed portion which snugly fits within the outlet end of the hose, and the externally threaded portion thereof being threadably connectable to a correspondingly internally threaded inlet of the spray nozzle.